Just Luck
by ninjas-and-hepburn
Summary: How did she survive that night? How did he know she was there? How did they become friends? Guess it was just luck.
1. Interference

"I can't believe she ditched me again."

Irma Langinstein had been grumbling to herself all night long. She dragged herself down the lonely streets of Manhattan with back arched in pain. She had chosen tonight to bring home the three heaviest text books so she could start on her extra credit assignments. Not that she needed it. Her arms were starting to cower under the extra weight and she stumbled over herself but remained on her feet. She couldn't risk dropping the load for the fourth time that day. The first accident was trying to get the books out of her bottom locker. She managed to trip a football player with her chemistry book that she had placed in the walkway. This of course helped Irma receive dirty looks from his friends. The second time was the waterfall of literature down the stairs during dismissal. The most recent time was trying to leave the library after a failed study session with her best and only friend. "This is like the twenty-sixth time this has happened. Ugh, if I had more friends, I would have ditched her by now." She stopped on the sidewalk and thought about what she had just said. "Man, I have no life," she said to no one in particular and continued to her house.

She barely made it up the steps to her door. Her glasses were fogging up from all the body heat she was producing. Irma fumbled with her keys as her books slid slowly in her hands.

"I really need a book bag."

Her parents were very rough sleepers and would not risk precious rest. They were both scientists that's jobs required them to rise at four in the morning. As Irma found the house key, she heard a noise from around the corner. She sat her books on the concrete seat next to the door. In a matter of seconds, Irma was thrown over someone's shoulder and taken to a dark alley. She was flung into the back corner in front of a dumpster. She was so shocked that she was too weak to fight back as her captors bound her wrists and taped her mouth.

"You think she's got any money on her," the largest of the two asked.

"Doubt it. I don't see a purse. But I do know one thing we can get out of her," the short mastermind answered.

"What's that?"

"Something she can never get back."

Irma knew exactly what he meant. This sent her into a panic attack and started squirm.

"Shut up."

A swift hand met the girl's cheek. The force sent her to the ground where she began to cry.

"Oh, don't cry babe. I mean, you can't expect to wear these short little skirts and get away with it. You were asking for it."

This only made the tears multiply.

"Ay, stop crying."

The big one kicked Irma in the gut which caused her coil up. There was nothing she could do. She was visually helpless. Tears staining her fair cheeks, Irma began to pray for safety. Someone was bound to hear her silent cries for help.

"Get her legs."

AS the humongous brute made his way to Irma, a dark figure appeared from the rooftops and took the two muggers to the front of the alley. The captive slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head to see the personification of her prayer. She watched the broad build throw her attackers to the concrete.

"Ah guys. What have we talked about? If you can't play nice with the pretty girls, you're forced to deal with me."

This figure was wearing a mask that's torn tendrils fluttered in the heavy wind. His voice was rough and oddly attractive.

"Oh wow. This is just like in Raimi's Spider-Man when he saves Mary Jane in the alley and they make out while he's hanging upside down," Irma thought to herself. She began to study her hero's movements. He was quick and agile, despite the giant backpack he had strapped to him. He finished the men off and stood quiet for a second. He seemed unsure of what to do next. He laughed slightly and grabbed the thugs by their shirt collars. He began to walk towards the dumpster where she sat. She managed to pull herself up and sit straight up. The figure threw the thugs a few feet in front of her.

"Don't you two dare try to run away."

Irma was scared. The figure stepped over the muggers and bent down so that he was at her level. His face was still masked by the shadows, except for the pair of unrealistically green eyes staring at her. The eyes made her less frightened, yet all the more intimidated. She remained silent, afraid of what might happen if she said something stupid. She saw a mischievous smile form under the eyes. God, he had a great smile!

"Are you okay," he asked maintaining the deadly eye contact.

The teenager inside of Irma wanted to snap back with something clever, but she couldn't bring herself to. For the most part she was speechless because of her savior's sudden appearance to her. But she was also lost for words because of the tape still covering her mouth. She nodded her head quickly so he could respond.

"Don't worry. I'm going to help you get out of this. But I need ya to promise me that you won't run away."

She cocked her head to the side out of confusion.

"You'll see. First things first."

Two large hands reached out to her face. They were large and only had three of what seemed to be fingers. Irma closed her eyes to hide her shock. Yet despite the disbelief she had, she wasn't scared. The left hand cradled her face while the other one gently pealed the tape from her mouth.

"Is that better," he asked.

She shook her head while her eyes continued to search the shadows for a face to match the haunting eyes. He laughed,

"You know, I took the tape off so you could talk to me."

Her body tensed up. Green hands and fingers regardless, the voice was killing her.

"Sorry," she said shyly.

His eyes got bigger.

"So, you can talk?"

"About 85% of the time. The rest of it is just mindless nonsense."

He laughed again. She made him laugh!

"So how exactly did they come about?"

He gestured to the thugs that were out cold behind his dark body.

"I don't know them. Random of act of violence I assume."

"Gotcha. I'm honestly just glad you're safe. Here, let me finish my job."

This was it. Irma sat stiff as the figure rose to his feet and stepped forward. She had seen the reports. She read the articles. But nothing prepared her for him. He was green from his hairless head to his three toed feet. There was a large plastron where a chest belonged with a small lightning bolt crack in the upper right corner. The mask that dressed the green eyes perfectly was red. As he turned for the full effect, Irma made the last big discovery. The giant backpack did not exist. Instead there was a shell covering his entire back. A little crack matching the one in the plastron hung in the upper left shoulder begging for an explanation. He completed his turn and waited for the expected response. But Irma was still studying. He wore a belt that housed twin Japanese Sai. He also wore wrappings on his hands, fingers, and feet. The turtle moved to the teenage girl and reached behind her. He turned her back towards him as he began to untie her.

"So?"

"So what?"

"Aren't you terrified of my 'hideous form'?"

"Strangely enough, no."

"Huh? I mean, how?"

"To be completely honest, you are scientifically fascinating. The thought of your origins and how you became who you are is just astounding."

"Dissection is off limits, just sayin'."

"Oh of course. I wouldn't dare."

"Why not?"

"Why not what?"

"Why not cut me open and study me? Isn't that what people do best when it comes to freaks like me?"

"You're not a freak."

"Why's that," he asked with a bit of humor in his voice. Other than his human big sister, this was the first human girl that the turtle had come into contact that did not have cruel intentions. He finished untying her and she turned to him and she stood.

"Because freaks are a result of accidents. And the fact that you were here tonight was no accident."

The turtle stood mouth ajar. Irma guessed he had not had much positive interaction with humans and the idea that one had not run away from him tonight shocked him.

"Well then I guess it was just luck Champ."

She crossed her arms and tried to hide a smile.

"So what are you going to do about them?"

She pointed toward the thugs, who had not budged the fight. Not even a twitch.

"Eh, I'll leave them beside the street and the cops'll find them on patrol. It's foolproof. Come on, I'll get you home Champ."

"It's Irma actually. Irma Langinstein," she said as they walked out of the alley together.

"Name's Raphael. Call me Raph."

Raphael. The name processed in her mind and a tingle shot down her back. She blamed it on the cold and before they turned onto the street, Irma asked Raph to wait for a moment. The small girl raced back to her attackers and delivered a punt to each of their heads. Raph cringed and replied with a smile,

"Damn, Short-Stuff. Didn't know you had it in you."

Irma found her books just where she had left them. Raphael watched from a distance.

"So you sure you'll be alright?"

"Uh, I can't guarantee tomorrow."

She picked up the books and he laughed some more.

"No but seriously."

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes Raphael."

"Okay. If anything like this ever happens again, just call me."

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

She had to bend over to properly see the lock and insert her key. Suddenly, the wind caught her skirt slightly. All Raph could do was watch and act uninterested.

"Scream," he replied in a low gruff voice.

Irma stopped what she was doing. How was she going to restrain herself when he answered questions like that? She was getting angry at herself. He was a mutant turtle. Yet he was definitely a hot-blooded teenager. She sensed that about him from the way he walked back to her apartment. She could tell by the way he talked and held himself. She just knew it.

"Well, will I ever see you aga-"

Irma turned around and was suddenly all alone. She tried to peak around to look in the alleys but it was no use. She pouted and proceeded into her house to pass out in her room, narrowly missing the bed all together. Raphael hid in one of the nearby alleys. He let out a sigh and replied,

"Just might kid. Just might."


	2. Topic of Interest

Irma woke up the next morning lying on her bed. She didn't remember getting to her room or changing. She picked herself up and poked her head out of her room. She called for her parents even though she knew they wouldn't answer. Saturdays were especially busy at the institute. They'd be gone for the majority of the day, so Irma decided to use this to her advantage. She retreated back into her room to grab a few things before heading to the bathroom. She disposed of yesterday's clothes and jumped into the shower. It was then she discovered purple rings around her wrists. This reaffirmed her disbeliefs. Last night really happened. It wasn't a dream; it actually happened. Otherwise where would these bruises have come from? Irma quickly finished her shower and ran to her room. She searched "strange sightings in NYC" on her laptop, but all that came up were little pink brain things and robots. "Remind me to be scared of those things when I'm not looking for a giant turtle," she thought to herself. After all attempts to find out more about her masked hero, Irma decided to turn to what she did best: confide in April. She changed into an oversized navy sweater and purple skirt and dialed. It rang six times.

"Hello?" April's voice sounded like she was in the middle of something important but the background sounded like a Kung Fu movie marathon.

"April! You won't believe what happened last night." Irma was happy to hear her voice. It'd been a week two since she'd seen April. She should have known better than to go to the library and wait for her yesterday. If she hadn't shown up to school in two weeks, why would she show up for a study session?

"Can it wait Irma? I'm kind of in the middle of something. Shouting ensued behind April. The turtles were in the middle of a training session. To escape the loud practice, April snuck behind a screen door into the living room.

"I got mugged," Irma said excitedly.

"OH MY GOD ARE YOU OKAY?"

"Yeah I'm fine; that's not the point."

"That's not the point? You call me to tell me that you were mugged and then completely disregard it?"

"No. That's not what I meant. Right before they were about to….. have their way with me, someone rescued me."

"Say what?"

"Hey Ape, everything alright?" Raphael had slipped from the dojo to check on her. He was rubbing his knee in pain while she stood there listening to her friend babble about crime statistics in New York. April extended a finger toward his knee, but Raph shooed her away as if to say "It's nothing."

The young kunoichi in training pulled away from the phone to give her friend an answer, "Yeah, my friend got mugged last night."

"Really, he alright?"

"Not he, she and yeah she's fine."

"My bad."

"But April, that's not the half of it. So after he knocked out the thugs he approached me."

"Yeah, so?"

"Sooo, he helped untie me. And April, you're never going to believe this part."

"Try me," she said looking suspiciously at the red-masked turtle. She knew Raph and his brothers loved helping random citizens in danger when they weren't fighting the Foot or Purple Dragons. But April thought that they were all smart enough not to engage the people.

"He was a giant turtle!"

"I giant turtle you say." She gave Raph a stern look like she was about to rip his head off. She knew Raphael had gone on patrol last night and came back later than usual. She had wondered then but now she had her answer. As soon as Raph had heard 'turtle', he realized who April was talking to. He smiled nervously at her as he tried to sneak away, but April grabbed him by the belt and demanded him to stay. "Or else," she dared as she pointed to Splinter's silhouette on the screen door. He nodded and stood there. Even though he was bigger than her, he didn't dare cross April. She was lethal when angry and he did not feel like provoking her anymore.

"April, A GIANT TURTLE! You don't believe me do you?!"

"Yes Irma, I believe you. So other than the obvious, what did he look like?"

"Well, he had a red mask with torn tendrils."

_Check_. At this point April had grabbed Raph by the mask and pulled him to the kitchen. She sat down at the table with Raph sitting on the other end and placed the call on speakerphone.

"A lightning bolt in his plastron."

_Check_.

"He carried twin Japanese sai."

_Check_.

"He had these beautiful green eyes."

Both heads shot up and stared at the phone then looked at each other. April noticed that Raph's face was the same color as his mask. The turtle tried to hide his embarrassment and put his feet up on the table. The girl could still see the flush in his cheeks and smiled.

"Anything else," April asked.

"Well, to be completely honest, he had a really sexy voice."

Raph convulsed and fell out of his chair. April's shocked face disappeared as she silently laughed at her friend's sudden clumsiness. He emerged from the floor and his face was redder than ever.

"What was that," Irma asked frantically.

"Oh nothing. My cousin, Reagan, fell out of his chair. So you found this giant turtle guy sexy?"

"Well, I mean, uh," she stammered. "Not exactly but there was something about him that was different."

"Like what?"

"He seemed like a natural tough guy but when he was helping me he let go. Worried but comforting. He was concerned I was going to run off as soon as I could."

"Well, to be completely honest, if I was a giant turtle I would be scared people would run away from me too." April stared judgmentally at Raph, knowing this is what he should have been thinking.

"I understand that. I told him I wasn't scared though. Well, maybe at first but when he started talking to me I calmed down."

"Why is that Irma?"

"Because he seemed genuine. And like you said, he's probably faced enough rejection in his life, he could use a friend."

"That's my girl. Making friends with mutants on her way home from the library," April said hypocritically. Raph rolled his eyes. "Did you even catch his name?"

Irma let out an extended sigh, "Raphael."

"Raphael, eh? Irma, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you have feelings for this ninja turtle."

"I do not! I just find him interesting, that's all."

"Uh-huh, so when is your next date with your reptilian Romeo." Raph looked at April. The red in his cheeks had somewhat vanished by now. And he was silent.

"Well, that's the thing. While I was unlocking my apartment door, he vanished. And I really want to see him again."

"Well, I'm sure if he was willing to talk to you in the first place, he'll be back."

"I guess."

"Tell you what. You call me up the next time he talks to you and let me know how it goes."

"By the way, where are you?"

April knew that was coming. She couldn't lie to her best friend, but she couldn't reveal her location either.

"I'm, uh, at the farm in Connecticut with my uncle and cousins."

"Oh, well how long will you be gone?"

"At the least four months."

"Four months?!"

"It's ridiculous but I have to. I miss you like crazy and I promise I'll write."

"I miss you too. Have fun."

"I love you."

Irma smiled. She was glad that she and April had such a good relationship, even if it meant she couldn't see her.

"I love you too. Don't get any new best friends while you're gone."

"Trust me, no one can replace you."

* * *

**Yay Raphinstein! This one was so much fun to write. Went much faster than the first. Thank y'all for the support and review, it means a lot. Just Luck will be updated every Thursday. The updates might become inconsistent at the beginning of August but I'll do my best! Love you all!**


	3. Kōken'nin

"What in the hell were you thinking?!"

April circled Raphael's seat in the kitchen and swung the wooden spoon at him. She knew that there was a good chance that the thugs that attacked Irma were Purple Dragons. And now that they knew Raph was protective of her, Irma would become a prime target.

"I was thinking that I didn't want her to be assaulted." Raphael's emotions were mixed. He was angry about April being angry, he was worried about Master Splinter finding out about the rescue, and his stomach hurt every time he thought about Irma.

"Look, Raph I know the hero vigilante is kind of your guys' thing but did you ever think of the circumstances?"

"Yes I did."

"Such as?"

"The thugs being purple dragons and them seeing her as a possible target."

"Okay maybe you have."

"Look April, I know it was stupid of me to engage her and walk her home. They probably saw us. But there was something that was pulling me into it."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. It was like she was a magnet and I was metal."

"So, you're saying you had this sudden urge to put yourself between her and the thugs."

"More than usual."

April's mind temporarily went off track and she started to giggle.

"What?"

"Nothing," she said between giggles. "So what did you tell the thugs when you first got there?" April knew how the guys liked to add little side remarks during less-threatening battles.

"Something like, 'if you can't play nice with the pretty girls, you're forced to deal with me.'"

April giggles momentarily ceased and she stared wide eyed at her younger brother.

"What? What did I do wrong," he asked desperately.

"So you think she's pretty?"

Raphael avoided eye contact. He didn't know how to answer that question. Ever since his younger and older brothers had developed feelings for human girls, Raph was put off by it. He didn't understand the logistics. Living with guys all his life, he didn't understand how you could like a girl as much as they did.

"You do! You do think she's prett-"

"Look it doesn't matter, I won't bother her anymore. I promise."

"Why not?"

"Because the Purple Dragons may kidnap her if they see me with her anymore. They'll start making assumptions."

"What about the assumptions they've already made?"

She had him there. The Purple Dragons relied heavily on kryptonite. Since they saw him walk her home, it's obvious Irma was a point of interest. The turtles usually left the victims to find their way home.

"You're right. I've put your friend in danger! April, I'm sorry I didn't mean to."

"You were doing what you thought was right, Raph. You can't help the circumstance." She placed a hand on his shoulder as he cradled his head in his hands.

"So what do we do now?"

"What you can do is keep an eye on her to make sure nothing happens."

"Like a Kōken'nin?"

"Yes, exactly."

"Well, don't you guys have other friends? I'm sure the other girls could do that for me."

April remained silent. The truth is she and Irma were two of the loneliest teenage girls in New York. Nobody in school liked to hang out with them. That's why Irma was so important to her. She was the only friend she had that she could really connect with.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just that, we don't have any other friends. We're pretty much loners. She gets bullied at school every now and then. I stand up for her but it doesn't do that much help. I'm lucky enough to have my dad and you guys."

Raph's face grew confused. "Is she an orphan?"

"No. Both of her parents are scientists at an institute in the Upper East. They go to work at four in the morning and come home at ten at night. The only time they are really home is during the weekends and they spend that time sleeping. She is an orphan to be honest."

Raph's face sunk. Despite his appearance and limitations, the one thing he was thankful to have was a wonderful family. Master Splinter was always there when he needed him, and his brothers could make any situation better. The addition of April only made it better. He understood why April wanted him to do this. She was the only person Irma had. Now that she was gone, Irma had no one. Someone needed to protect her. Someone needed to be her friend. If Raph had to be one of the reasons this girl lost a friend, he would be one of the reasons she gained one too.

Raph got out of his chair and got on his knees in front of April. He bowed to her and said, "I promise April, I won't let anything happen to her."

"I know you will big guy." She got on her knees in front of him and patted his shoulder again. "This will be good for you. Someone else to talk to besides your brothers and me."

"And she's not going to be scared of a giant turtle guardian."

"Well, you two have already made acquaintance. She's nice to you. You're nice to her. I think it will be fine."

Raph shook his head as April got to her feet and walked toward the curtain. His skepticism was interrupted by April's voice.

"Besides, she's looking forward to seeing those 'beautiful green eyes' and hearing that 'sexy voice'."

Raphael's face went red again as she peeked her head into the kitchen.

"Come on lover boy before Splinter comes looking for us."

* * *

**Sorry this chapter's short. But it's got important information soooo that's good! Next week is going to be longer and happier I promise! As always, reviews are welcome and I love you guys!**

***UPDATE*: I will be posting Chapter Four on Wednesday of next week. Thursday will be a very busy day for me, and school is starting soon so I will be doing my best to update frequently.**


	4. Finally

Irma spent the rest of her day working, as usual. She finished two papers for school and done research for an upcoming independent study. Her work was strewn about her desk and had three word documents and fourteen internet tabs open on her computer. At about three in the afternoon, Irma realized she needed to run to pick up a book she had ordered for the independent study. She laced up her brown ankle boots and ran to the library. The book was waiting for her and she was in and out within ten minutes. As she approached her apartment door, Irma heard noises. She was frightened at first but it melted away as she raised her book to the air. She opened the door quickly and pounced in let on a loud "Ah-Hah!"

"What's the problem?" Mrs. Langinstein emerged from the kitchen.

"Mom? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"

"The institute let us out early, so I started to cook dinner."

Irma was astonished. Her mother had never once cooked yet the lack of smoke in the kitchen proved she had a hidden talent. The teenager's heart skipped a beat. She had waited for this day her entire life and now it was here.

"Your father's in the shower. We'll be eating at around seven that way he and I can get enough sleep for tomorrow."

And there it was.

"What's tomorrow?"

"We were selected to participate in a two week study trip to the Massachusetts countryside. We are studying the modern comparison of pollution in big cities and rural areas. We're leaving at five in the morning."

"Oh, well that's great mom," was all Irma could get out. She knew it was too good to be true.

"Is there something wrong honey?"

"No, it's nothing. I'm just really dreading starting this study project."

"Knowing you, you'll be done before we get back." Mrs. Langinstein retreated to the kitchen and continued to prepare the meal. At supper, Irma sat in silence while her parents discussed packing and research tactics. "So, we're a modern family. It shouldn't bother me," she thought to herself. But it did. It consumed her. Most teenagers did all they could to avoid their parents, but all she wanted was someone to talk to. It would be nice to know someone cared. That night after shedding a single tear, Irma decided she would make the best of the situation. She would get up and make herself breakfast and dance around in her underwear. Just because she could, and she knew no one would know. Except for one.

* * *

The next morning Raphael had a sudden urge to go find Irma. He got out of bed and ran out of the sewers. His brothers weren't awake yet, but he told Splinter he was craving an early morning workout. Splinter agreed as long as he would stay on the rooftops and bring a jacket. It was a cloudy morning with a very good chance of rain. Raph knew he would be in the clear seeing as New Yorkers tend to stay away from roofs on rainy days. Right before it began to rain, Raph found the apartment building. He landed on a fire escape on the left side of the building and looked into the open window. It was white with black accents. A large bed sat directly in front of the window. There was a large desk with shelves of books and a large computer. Next to the desk was a medium-sized flat screen mounted on the wall. Although what really tipped Raphael off was the picture next to the bed. It was of the same girl he'd met the other night with her parents. She looked so happy. It also helped that next to the picture was a large wooden "I". "I for Irma," he thought and concluded that he had the right place. All of a sudden loud music started playing from down the hall. The turtle almost jumped out of his shell as he walked to the door. He poked his head out and his eyes grew wide. The tiny girl was dancing around the kitchen making breakfast. Her hair was tied up and her glasses were perfectly perched on her nose. She was wearing an oversized blue dress shirt and no pants. Grey underwear to be more specific. And knee high white socks. And she was dancing between the island and the stove making herself an omelet singing some old song Raph didn't know.

"It's not unusual to see me cry, I WANNA DIE," Irma wailed while putting the finishing touches on her breakfast. Raph couldn't help but laugh a little. She was adorable. He saw her finish up her breakfast and began to head to her room. Raph ducked back in and stood in between the desk and TV. As he stood waiting, the song changed on the iPod. Irma entered the room backwards, still singing and dancing with an omelet in one hand and a music player in the other. "FINALLY IT'S HAPPENED TO ME RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE AND I JUST CANNOT HIDE IT!" As she spun around, the girl opened her eyes. "Meeting Mr. Right, the man of my- OH MY GOD!" As she had turned around, Irma had tried to close the door with her body. Now she was plastered against the closed door shaking. Raph had covered his eyes in panic that she would think he was a perv.

"What is this, Risky Business Sunday?"

"Wasn't expecting visitors. Sorry for the view." She made an attempt to cover herself but it was no use.

"Don't worry about it. You look great- I mean you, you pull off the no pants look I mean uh," Raph stumbled through his words. Irma giggled as she sat her breakfast down on her nighstand. She saw this kind of stuff at school all the time. Some guys from the AV club would come up to her and April's lockers at the end of a day frequently. They would ask her friend if she was interested in going out for pizza after school. April would always turn them down in favor of hanging out with her best friend. She would always argue with her, insisting she'd be fine at home by herself. Deep down, Irma wondered what it felt like to cause speech troubles in the opposite sex. She guessed Raph was a good example. She began to walk toward him with a big smile on her face.

"I'm so glad you came back." She took his humongous hands in her own petite ones. She squeezed to reaffirm her excitement. Raph felt his muscles tightening.

"No problem."

"So what's the occasion?"

"I felt that since we met under such sour circumstances, I should make it up to you by explaining this," he gestured to himself.

"This early in the morning? How'd you get here without anybody seeing?"

"Rooftops, besides it's raining."

"Oh, so we can talk?"

"Yeah if your parents aren't going to run in on the mutant freak."

"What did I tell you? Don't call yourself that. Besides my parents just left this morning for a two week research trip."

"Scientists?"

"Ding ding." Irma looked down and realized she was still standing in her underwear. "Maybe I should get dressed first."

"Good idea, not that you look bad, you look great," he blurted out. This wasn't like Raph to throw out compliments. He must be sick.

She laughed some more. "Thanks." The girl walked over to her chest of drawers and fished out some clothes and grabbed some boots. "You stay here, I'll be right back."

"Alright."

She was gone for maybe two minutes. She came back wearing an oversized blue and grey sweater, jeans, and those brown boots he'd seen her carry. She sat down on her bed and he sat in the desk chair.

"So what do you want to know first?"

"How'd you get the lightning bolt scar?"

Raphael's eyes became huge, "What?"

"You know the little notch in your plastron, where'd it come from?"

"You don't want to ask the obvious?"

"I'll ask that after you tell me about the scar."

The boy hesitated, "I was dropped as a baby."

"Aww." Irma put her hands to her mouth in disbelief.

"So now do you want me to explain my existence?"

"Of course, go on."

And he did. He told her the whole story. The rivalry, the fire, the mutations, the vendetta, and everything else. Irma just sat there and listened to every word that came out of Raphael's mouth. When he was finished, he waited for a response from her. She remained quiet.

"Well?" She stayed silent. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"Something along the lines of 'Oh my, what a terrible existence!'"

"It's not that bad." She rubbed the bed and insisted on him joining her. He did.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah." Irma thought about the story a bit more. She thought about this Shredder guy Raphael had talked about and how he was out to kill him and his brothers. "At least you have a family."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"And you have a friend."

"And who's that," he asked playfully. Irma moved closer to his end of the bed. Still sitting, she leaned toward him on her hands.

"Me."

"You?"

"Yes me. Why? You don't want to be my friend?"

"It's not that. It's just; you are actually interested in being my friend? Why?"

"Because," Suddenly Irma grabbed one of the mutant's hands. It was made up of three fingers that were thoroughly taped and a large palm. She examined it and continued without looking up, "You're different. And I'm different. And it is possible for two oddballs to make an even, isn't it?"

Raph smiled. He was lucky. Despite all the facts that had been revealed, despite his appearance, despite the fact that this could lead to trouble, she accepted him for who he was. Maybe all humans weren't that bad. The girl then sat his hand on her waist as she moved in to hug him. Her arms wrapped his neck and she pulled herself into him. Raph's hand were frozen around her but slowly came to rest on her hips. "I never properly thanked you for what you did the other night. Thank you."

"It's no big deal."

"Yes it is. I could have been hurt. I could have been violated. I could have been killed, but that's probably taking it a bit far. The point is, you see that as all in a day's work, I see it as an extraordinary gesture."

"Well, I'm glad you're okay. What'd you parents say about your bruises?"

She pulled out of the hug as her smile faded.

"They didn't notice."

Raph remembered what April had said about Irma's parents. They were never around. That was proven when he first got there and they were nowhere to be found.

"They shouldn't be bad. Just ice them daily and they'll be gone by next week."

The girl shook her head halfheartedly. He could tell that he had severely damaged her mood.

"You said they'll be gone for two weeks."

"Yep."

"Then I'll visit frequently. Just to make sure you won't get lonely."

Her head shot up and her eyes widened. "You mean that?"

"If you'll leave the window unlocked."

"Yes! Yes of course I will!" She pulled the turtle in for another hug. Raph smiled and hugged her back. He was getting good at this.

"All right I got to get going. Be good for me okay?" As Irma pulled away from Raph, he noticed she was crying. But this time she was smiling. She started sniffling as he wiped her eyes. "Hey calm down," he whispered, "I'll be back soon." She giggled as his huge finger tried to dry her face.

"It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

She giggled again, "I'm just really glad you exist."

And with that Raphael told himself he had to leave before this got too emotional. He climbed out of the window and waved to his new friend. Irma waved back, already growing impatient to see him again.


	5. A Different Perspective

The rest of the day was spent sparring and patrolling. Raphael had obtained a rather upbeat attitude since his meeting with Irma, but he made sure to throw in smug comments and a frown every now and then. After they had returned to the lair, he decided to pay a visit to his older brother's room. Raph walked down the quiet hallway. Leo had retreated to his room early while everyone else talked in the living room. Ever since April's fight with Karai, he had acted strangely come the end of the night. Raphael stepped into his brother's room slowly. It was a calm contrast to Raph's room, which was often littered with comics and weapons. Leo's was clean and orderly. The leader sat in a nook reading a book at his desk. Before April moved in, she had been Leo's ticket to literature. He asked her for books weekly. He was currently in the middle of what looked to be Great Expectations when he heard his brother's footsteps.

"What do you need Raph?" He didn't sound upset or sad. The question surprised the red turtle.

"Oh nothing, just looking around."

"Since when do you come into my room and just look around?"

"Since I felt like it."

"Alright, go on then. You're not bothering me."

Raphael continued to look around. There was a large Space Dorks posters hanging by Leo's katana stand. Above the bed was a large poster of a yin yang with the Japanese symbols for balance underneath it. And hiding in the corner, sure enough, was the sword Karai had slung at Leo's head during Snakeweed's attack. It was not in the stand for obvious reasons but Raph could tell it had been taken care of.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something."

Leo turned around and smiled, "That's a first."

"Oh shut it Leo."

"You know what I mean. I'd be happy to answer your question. Why don't you sit down?"

Raph sat down uncomfortably on the bed.

"Promise me you won't freak."

"Why's that?"

The younger turtle hesitated, "I met a girl."

"You WHAT?" Leo sat up in his chair. He was happy and astonished.

"I said don't freak!" He hesitated for a moment. "The other night when I went on patrol by myself."

"Yeah?"

"She was being mugged and I saved her."

"That's great. Tell me about her."

"Well, she's really small."

"Mhm."

"She's kind of nerdy, in a charming way."

"Mhm."

"And um, she's April's best friend."

Leo sat there taking everything in. He didn't know what was more shocking; the fact that this girl his brother was talking about was friends with April or the fact that Raph had a crush on a girl.

"Does April know you've met her?"

"Yeah, she asked me to look after her while she was trapped down here."

"Have you told Splinter yet?"

"Of course not!"

"Why?"

"Because," Raphael stopped. He didn't have a good reason for not telling his father. It's not like she was his mortal enemy. Leo must have it hard. "I'm not sure."

"You're not scared are you?"

"No Lameanardo, I'm not scared."

"Then what is it?"

"I don't know."

Leo got up from his desk and walked to the bed. He sat down next to his younger brother and patted him on the shoulder.

"Look Raph, it's nothing to be scared of. Based on the events of the past year, obviously it's perfectly normal for us to have feelings for human gir-"

"WOAH WOAH Slow your roll space dork." Raph shook his Leo's arm and stood up. "I don't have feelings for anybody."

"Oh really?" Leo crossed his arms and flashed the smile he only wore when he knew he was right.

"Yeah really," Raph countered.

"What's her name?"

"Irma Langinstein."

"What was she wearing when you met her?"

"Black shirt, red plaid skirt, boots, and some kind of hat that hangs off the back of her head."

"What does she look like?"

"She's short and skinny with medium-length dark hair, square rimmed glasses, and these big brown eyes that are just…" Raph had slowed down in his rant and by the eye description he was gone. He had blanked out. _Shit_, he thought. _Maybe Leo's right._ Leo sat there with his I-told-you-so look. "Shut it."

"I didn't say anything."

"And I'm not saying I like her. But I do want to know one thing."

"What? How do ask her out without being your normally charming self?"

Raph let him have that one. He came here for business.

"I'm serious." He sat back down as Leo turned toward his brother. Raphael sat slumped forward avoiding eye contact with his older brother.

"What did, it feel like?"

"What did what feel like?"

"When you met Karai."

Leo thought about it. After her fight with April and his "betrayal", he was just as confused about his own feelings as his family was. He still liked her, and he still believed there was good in her. But she had broken the one rule they had. She had gone after his family. And although that should call off all the feelings, it didn't. He still thought about her. She still creeped into his dreams. He still wished he could talk to her and see her.

"It was as if, time stopped. Like no other thing mattered. She was incredible. Her combat and fighting style was remarkable and she was stunning. Other than April, she was the first girl I had met that didn't run away at first sight. She saw the human side of me. She treated me like any other guy. Her personality was magnetic and repellant at the same time. She insulted me, but that only drew me in more. After the big mess at the docks, I never felt, besides our first meeting with Shredder, more failed as a leader. We had her Raph. She was this close to being on our side. But I blew it and I may never get the chance to fix it."

"Aw Leo, it wasn't your fault. I came up with the idea to ambush Shredder during the weapon shipment."

"Yeah but I agreed to it. I could have told you no and that we were going to trust her. You know what she said to me before we fought?"

"What's that?"

"She said, 'I thought you were better than this. I thought you were my friend. How could you betray me?'"

"That's rough." Raph could tell this was hurting his brother. "This is wrong. I'm sorry Leo I'll leave now."

"No Raph it's okay." Leo's frown disappeared and he sat there with a look of acknowledgement. "I think this has actually made me feel better. This definitely makes getting over her easier."

"Getting over her?" Raph looked at Leo with the your-full-of-shit look. It was one of his trademarks.

"Yeah. I got over her weeks ago. First time I really talked about her and got it off my chest."

"Over her?"

Leo jutted out his neck to restate his point. "Yes, I'm completely over her."

"Bro, you know I love you."

"Nice to hear it every now and then."

"But you're not over her."

This ticked the older turtle off a bit. "What makes you say that?"

"You're reading a book about a guy that's in love with a girl that essentially lives in a "different" world, you've been marathoning those episodes of Space Dorks with the hot alien chick in them, and…" Leo's confidence began to fade before Raph could finish the list. "You're hoarding her sword in the corner by your nightstand."

"I am not."

"Really?" Raph walked over to the corner and picked up the ninjato.

"Be careful," insisted Leo as he extended a hand to Raph. The younger boy put the sword down. "Maybe you're right."

"Maybe?"

"Okay you are right. I honestly don't know how to get over her. I wish I could tell her it was all a big misunderstanding, but now she won't even talk to me."

"It's alright bro."

"Raph if you do get involved with this girl please treat her like she deserves. Don't become a hopeless romantic like me."

"I told you I don't have a crush on her!"

"Really? I would say that you do."

Raphael halted. Master Splinter stood in Leo's doorway. He walked gracefully over to his two sons who were frozen with embarrassment.

"Sensei! How much of that did you hear?"

"Pretty much from the beginning. My son, why did you not want to tell me about your little girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend Sensei, I just didn't want you to think any less of me?"

"Why would I think any less of you Raphael? Your brothers have developed feelings for young ladies and I don't love them any less."

"I know but I just thought…. That with me…. It would be different."

"Ahh my toughest son is frightened of losing his rough image. Raphael, this happens to a lot of people and I can assure you if it changes them, it's for the better."

"So you're not mad?"

"Of course not. Would I have preferred you not to have exposed yourself? Yes. But in this case, you had no choice. She needed extra help and you were there for her. Besides, she doesn't seem to be dangerous, my apologies Leonardo."

"None taken Sensei."

"And if she is friends with Ms. O'Neil, she is certainly welcome here."

"Thank you Sensei," Raph said as he maintained his composure on the outside. On the inside, he was giddy.

"Does she know April is staying here?"

"No, but I'll talk with her and tell her it's okay for Irma to come down."

"I look forward to meeting her." Splinter turned to the door and began walking. "And Leonardo."

"Yes Sensei." Leo stood up to acknowledge his father's impending wishes.

"You are not hopeless my son. We can't fight attraction."

"You have no idea Sensei," he replied as he walked out with his younger brother who he now had something new in common with.


	6. Returning the Favor

Knowing he no longer had to hide; Raphael went about the next few days peacefully. He was still the hot-headed, arrogant turtle his brothers had come to tolerate, but there moments when he exposed his more sensitive side accidentally. Michelangelo asked April if this was how everyone acted when they liked someone. She would have answered quickly but with three brothers supposedly love-struck, one reading a book paralleling his life and hoarding a sword, one became a babbling idiot whenever he was in her presence, and one who was normally angry at the world converted to a softer version of his self, she couldn't come up with a suitable answer.

"In a lot of cases, yes, but your brothers aren't normal guys."

"No, I guess not. Man, I hope I don't act like Donnie when I find somebody."

April laughed. Mikey was different from the others. She pondered what he would be like with love on his mind. She patted his head and roamed off to her room to make an important phone call.

On Friday evening, Raphael decided to pay Irma a visit. He hadn't seen her all week and thought she could use some well-deserved attention. On his way there, he encountered a couple of purple dragons. Although he came out victorious, Raph let a few blows break his streak. He walked away with a slightly swollen eye and a bloody lip. As he climbed into the window, he could hear Irma in the kitchen. He walked down the hallway and into the living room where a Disney movie menu was displayed on the flat screen. Irma was across the room cooking dinner. Her back was to Raphael as she spoke,

"You know, I really think I should just give you a key."

"How'd you know it was me and not some robber?"

"You have a very distinct walking pattern. Thud thud thudthud thud. It sounds like you're limping."

"Knee problems."

"Gotcha."

"And I told you. I can't come through the front door. Too obvious."

"I meant for the window. It has a lock on….it." Irma had turned around and seen Raph's face. She dropped the food she'd been carrying on the island and rushed over to him. "How'd you get hurt," she asked with concern.

"I had a run-in with some purple dragons. It's nothing."

"You're bleeding and your eye is swollen."

"Only a little. You can barely see it."

"Sit down and relax." Irma pointed to the couch. "I'll be right back."

"Really Champ I'm fi-"

"Sit!"

Raphael sat down. He knew better than to cross a female. As she disappeared into the hallway, Raph examined the food that had been abandoned. There were four quesadillas sitting on a large plate. "She made enough for me," he thought and smiled even though it hurt. Irma came running back with ice, bandages, and tissues. Irma was wearing a black hoodie, denim shorts, and light blue high tops. She sat down on the couch next to him and gently cupped his face in her hands. He winced at the sudden movement.

"Poor baby," she remarked and began to fix the mutant up. She was very careful with everything. As she began to blot the blood rolling out of his mouth, Irma let out a small laugh. "Think of this as returning the favor." He smiled as she moved onto the eye. She grabbed the ice pack and made sure it wasn't completely slushed. As he watched her, Irma kissed the ice pack and held it to his eye.

"What was that for," he asked as he helped support the pack. Irma maintained a hand on it.

"Putting a little love into so it will heal faster. My mom used to do it all the time."

"Makes sense. So what's the plan for tonight?"

"Well, first I have to tell you the amazing news."

"And that would be?"

"Well." She hurried over to the food, picked them up, and sat them down in front of the couch as she got comfortable. "My best friend April called me today. And she said I'd be seeing her soon!"

"So she's coming back to New York?"

"Seems like it!"

"Good to hear. You're not going to forget about me as soon as she comes back are you?"

"That's not going to happen." He smiled. It was good to know he was unforgettable.

"So how would you like to meet the family?"

Irma lit up. She started shaking with excitement.

"You mean that?"

"Of course. They're dying to meet you."

"I'm taking you put in a good word about me?"

"Oh, absolutely."

"So when is it?"

"How's tomorrow morning?"

"Awesome!"

"So you don't mind if I sleep over and guard you until tomorrow morning?"

"Master Splinter allows co-ed sleepovers?"

"He allows them in case of protection. And he'd rather I escort you to the lair then you navigate it own your own."

"Couldn't you have just come by in the morning?" She had him there. His mouth hung open not knowing how to respond. "Is this one of your hair brained schemes to sleep with me?"

"No! I thought you might want some company after a long week of Eat, Study, Work, Repeat." Irma giggled. She loved making Raph uncomfortable. The looks on his face were priceless.

"Fair enough. But no funny business." She stuck her finger into his face in a playful manner.

"Done. Well, how about we eat this awesome food you made."

"I hope you don't mind. I didn't know what you'd like, other than pizza, so I made an educated guess."

"It's great. You're great. Thanks for the medical treatment."

"No problem. "

"So what's on the movie schedule tonight?" Raphael began to relax and extend his arms across the back of the couch. Irma sank down into the couch.

"My favorite, Beauty and the Beast."

"Never seen it." Irma gasped like she had never heard a more ludicrous statement.

"Then prepare to be amazed."

Raphael never thought he would like a Disney movie as much as he liked Beauty and the Beast. It was probably because he could relate to the Beast in a lot of aspects. The only difference was Beast had the opportunity to change back to a human. He did not. Halfway through the movie, Raphael noticed a small creature move in the kitchen.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"I saw something move in your kitchen."

"Oh don't worry." She turned toward the kitchen and said, "Come here baby!"

A small cat emerged from behind the island. It was orange with a white belly and had green eyes quite similar to Raph's. The cat jumped into Irma's lap and stood on its hind legs to rub heads with her.

"She's yours?" Raph was amused. The last time he saw a cat it was attacking his younger brother.

"Yes HE is. Raphael, meet Finley. Finley meet Raph."

"Hey buddy," he cooed as he tickled under the feline's chin. Finley quickly warmed to him as the cat was in his lap purring in a matter of seconds.

"I think he likes you."

"Must." The cat had jumped onto Raph's shoulder and continued rubbing against him and purring.

"You have a way with animals," she said.

"Well I kind of am one if you haven't noticed."

"Darn, you can't get anything past me." They all got readjusted and continued watching the movie, with Finley resting in Raph's lap.

Raph had closed his eyes for maybe ten minutes when he woke up. A special feature had begun playing automatically after the movie had ended. Finley had disappeared, but Raph found something else in his lap. Irma had fallen asleep also and her head was rested on his thigh. She was calm and peaceful, slowly rising as she breathed.

"Oh crap," Raph thought. What was he going to do? He wasn't going to move her because that would risk her waking up. He was trapped. "I know, I'll shift and maybe she'll do the same and move to the other side of the couch," he thought. He grabbed the back of the couch where his arms had rested. He gently moved toward her with a slight push. Instead of moving away, Irma moved closer. Her arms extended to his waist and she pulled herself up so that her head rested safely on his plastron. During the process, she let out a few sleeping moans and rubbed her head against his chest. "Great." The turtle panicked slightly then thought of a new plan. "Maybe if I lay down she'll slide off." As he reclined, she only tightened her grip. "Stubborn aren't you?" He stroked her hair as she slept on top of him. "Ah what the shell?" Irma had a giant throw from earlier still draped over her. He pulled it up over the rest of her body and got himself comfortable. He would never admit it, but that was one of the best nights of Raph's life.

* * *

**Yay fun chapter! So school has gotten really tough in the past week and I'm still currently writing chapter seven. Hopefully I'll be done by next Thursday, but I don't have many free writing days. It's going to get real in chapter seven! So thanks for all the support guys! I'll try my best because I love y'all!**


	7. Afraid

In the morning, Irma woke up before Raphael. She didn't remember falling asleep and she certainly didn't remember falling asleep on top of a giant turtle. At first she was embarrassed but then she figured it didn't matter. They were friends. Nothing had happened so it was pointless to worry. She gently got up from Raph and the couch and went to get ready for the meeting. Raph's body noticed the sudden weight change but he did not wake up. As Irma got out of the shower, she returned to the living room in her robe. Finley had jumped onto Raphael's stomach and made his way to his head. He was licking his neck and the mutant groaned, "You're really good at this." The girl began to giggle in the hallway and put her hand to her mouth so not to ruin the moment. Finley crawled up Raph's neck and began licking his mouth. The teenager let out a small snicker, "You're a little freak aren't you? I like it." Irma was about to die in the corner. The cat decided to nip the turtle's lip slightly, then continued to lick him. "Don't stop." Irma couldn't hold in the laughter anymore. Her giggling finally caused Raph to open eyes. "Aw yeah that's the sp-"He freaked out and screamed which caused Finley to jump. He scratched the mutant's cheek as he made his escape. Raph fell flat on his face in between the couch and the coffee table. Irma rushed over to his side as he rolled over and rubbed his head.

"Are you okay?"

"Besides the fact that I just made out with a cat and he's the aggressive type, I'm fine."

"I don't know. It sounded like you were enjoying it."

"You're a horrible person for not waking me up." He was laughing through this statement, so it was hard to take him seriously.

"Sorry if I didn't want your make out session to end."

"Jerk." He jutted out his neck in her face.

"Horndog." She did the same. They began laughing as they sat on the floor. "Sorry about falling asleep on you. Probably made it hard for you to sleep."

"Surprisingly no. It was fine. Don't worry about it."

"Do you ever worry about anything?"

"A majority of the time. This is like vacation time. So I don't have to."

"Well take another vacation while I get ready. But stay away from Finley. He's still upset about you rejecting him." She walked down the hall laughing and Raphael mocked her with a "Haha very funny". He was slightly embarrassed but he got over it quickly as his tPhone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey Raph, it's Leo. Are you two on the way?"

"She's getting dressed. We'll be there in a few minutes." The line went silent for a moment but was followed up by a judgmental Leo asking,

"Raphael."

"Yes Lameanardo?"

"Did you try anything?"

"Geez Leo cut a guy some slack. You're not the only ninja that has self-control."

"Well I've yet to see yours."

"Ah shut up."

"Are you in a different room?"

"What?"

"You said she's getting dressed. Are you in a different room?"

"God Leo yes! I'm in the living room and she's in her room."

"Just making sure. So you'll be over in a few minutes?"

"Roughly 15. I found a new shortcut. If you go down the 2nd tunnel outside of the lair you'll find a manhole a few yards down. It opens up right next to her fire escape."

"I'll remember that. See you in a few bro."

"See you."

"That one of your brothers?"

Raph turned around and found Irma waiting patiently in the kitchen. She'd changed into a navy ruffled blouse, mustard yellow cardigan, jeans, and brown boots.

"Yeah. Just checking on us. Are you ready to go?"

"Yep. Let's go." The walked to the bedroom and opened the window. "I would say ladies first. But I don't think you can make the drop by yourself."

"Turtles first," she said. They both smiled and Raph climbed out. As she heard a thud, she gently climbed onto the fire escape. The day was cloudy and her street was quiet and shrouded in clouds. Irma began to climb down the ladder. It was not long enough for her to reach the ground by herself so Raph stood beneath her. "Are you sure Raph?"

"I'm sure Champ. Come on down." She let go of the final bar and fell safely in Raphael's arms. He helped let her down. He faced the opening to the alley and she faced the wall. Suddenly Raph's eyes changed from subtly happy to pure horror.

"What's wrong?" He did not answer but stare directly behind her. She turned to see what had caused her friend to become silent. Before Irma could see who was behind her, Raph made his way in front of her; a human shield between her and the foot soldiers at the head of the alley.

"Is she the one," one asked another.

"No, so beat it."

"She must be. Look at the way the mutant freak hovers over her." The one speaking extended his hand and slowly transformed it into a fist. "Foot, hajime."

The leader threw a kunai in Irma's direction. Raph grabbed her and dived behind the dumpster resting opposite the apartment building. It began to rain in that moment and Irma opened her eyes. Raph was urgent and whispered, "Stay here and don't move." He turned around and began to fight off the small army. She began to think of the night they met, his swift movements mimicking those of that night. The rain pelted all of them, even those who had been thrown aside by Raphael. Irma was scared, but she quickly became terrified as one of those throw aways crawled toward her with ferocity. Raph was preoccupied and did not notice. The soldier grabbed at the girl demanding to know if she was "the one".

"I-I don't know!"

"You lie! Tell me who you are and where she is!" A green fist glided across the ninja's masked face. He flew away but was quickly retrieved by the turtle.

"If you EVER touch her again I will personally see to it that you never signal your men again."

"Where is the one the Kraang look for?"

"She disappeared without a trace."

"How do I know you are not lying, turtle?"

"Do I need to adjust your ears so you can hear me better? I have no idea where she is. Besides I think we know who has the upper hand in this one. Did Bradford and Xever think you could handle yourselves without them?"

"Not important."

"Neither are you." Raphael threw the soldier to the ground with distance. "Get out."

"We will find her turtle, eventually."

"Go now!" The ninjas disappeared up the halls and out of sight. Irma watched Raphael stand in the rain with fatigue. A sudden edge shot through him and he ran to her side behind the dumpster. Irma was shaking and her teeth were chattering. He reached for her hands and held them in his own. "Are you okay?" She remained silent and looked deep into his eyes. Something was wrong.

"Who were they?"

"Shredder's men."

"Who were they looking for and why did they think it was me?"

"Don't worry. The person they're looking for is in hiding and completely safe."

"Oh my God." Irma's shaking became violent and she began to cry. Raphael was put off by this and unsure of what to do.

"It's going to be okay Irm."

"No it's not." Her shaking multiplied and her breathing became scarce. "It's happening again."

Raph decided the best thing to do was get her inside. He managed to get her to hang on to him while he climbed back up the fire escape and into her room.

"Irma, I need you to answer me. What's going on?"

"Get me out of these clothes." In one of the rare moments of his life, Raphael was speechless. She was soaked to the skin from the rain and liable to catch something, but he was not sure he wanted to be the one to help her. His nervousness disappeared as he helped her undress. For a small girl, Irma got out of the boots and jeans fairly quickly by herself. She needed help with her shirt and cardigan because her breathing was already limited. He knew what had to be next. Raph took a deep breath and peeled off her shirt. Thankfully she was wearing a camisole so it wasn't completely awkward. "Is that better?" Irma looked deep into his eyes with the same frightened look. As they continued the staring contest, she took in a deep breath as they stood in the middle of the room. As she exhaled, her body grew limp and dropped. Raphael caught her and picked her up. He carried her to her bed and tucked her in. As he covered her body, her head became reanimated she told him, "I'm sorry. I should have told you that this happens."

"It's okay. Is there anything you need?"

"I could use my inhaler," Irma instructed as she pointed to the drawer on her nightstand. Raph fished threw miscellaneous objects and found the inhaler. He gently placed it in her hands and she performed the actions. The tears had slowed but still flowed and her breathing became more regular. As she finished inhaling her medicine, she began to cry again.

"What is it?"

"I should have told you."

"Irma it's okay. You don't have to explain yourself. It's fine." Raph sat on the floor next to her bed still soaked to the skin.

"I'll go call for a doctor so you can get some-"

"No," Irma choked through her tears. Raph had gotten to his feet during his statement and was now held back by the small girl's grip on his hand. "Please don't leave me!" He looked down at her desperate eyes. He remembered her abandonment issues and cursed himself for trying to leave her for the sole purpose of comfortableness. He sat back down and looked at her.

"I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

After a while Irma fell asleep to the rain and Raph stayed seated. He watched her chest gently rise and fall under the covers. He leaned toward her and rubbed his cheek against her forehead. And, quickly without thinking, he kissed her forehead. He leaned back and continued to watch her sleep, sighing with bliss.

"She's pretty Raph."

Raphael turned quickly to find his older brother standing behind him.

"Leo. When did you get here?"

"Just a few minutes."

"How?"

"Window's still cracked," he gestured to the rain soaked cracked window. "Snuck in when you had your head down."

"So do you know what happened to her?"

"She had a panic attack."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"She's fine thanks to you."

Raph hid his blush and stared at the ground.

"What made you come?"

"I figured you could've gotten to the lair in the time between our call and now, so I thought something must have been wrong. And I used the instructions you gave me."

"You're smarter than you think."

"And you nicer than you seem." Raph's head retreated to the floor again. "You really do like her?"

"Yeah so?"

"So I'm proud of you."

"For what?"

"For taking charge and not leaving her." Leo's head peeked around Raph's shoulder and they both watched the girl sleep. Her cheeks were red and stained with tears, but she was calm as her chest repeatedly rose and sank under the pile of sheets. "I texted the guys and let them know what happened."

"They upset?"

"Yeah. April although was acting really strange. She kept saying 'I'm not ready to see her yet'."

"What does she mean?"

"I'm not sure. I guess she's still thinking about how to explain leaving her best friend for mutants in the sewers."

"But isn't she just making it harder for herself when they do see each other again?"

"Yes but I don't think she cares."

Raph shrugged. He knew how stubborn April was. "Well, I'm not going to pressure her into it. When she's ready she's ready."

"Well, I'll leave you two alone. You going to be around for dinner?"

"I'll let you know how she's doing. If not better, I'll be here."

"Alright." Leo walked to the window and perched himself on the sill. "Oh, and Raph?"

"Yeah Leo?"

"You're a good guy."

"Shut up." His older brother shrugged and disappeared into the storm as Raphael stayed next to his best friend's bed and waited for her to wake up and ask him to do something for her.

* * *

**I thought I'd return to the darker side of this comic for a change. Things have been too cute for a while :) Now while I don't suffer at the level Irma does, I do however experience anxiety and panic attacks every so often. I haven't had one in about four months now so that's pretty good. But I did want to convey the type of things that go down during one. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and reviews are always welcome!**


	8. Pen Pals

The Friday before her parents came home, Irma found herself stuck in her apartment. Her teachers had assigned some homework along with tons of extra-credit opportunities. She had texted Raph early in the week and told him they couldn't have movie night. Raphael decided that the best way to ensure no stress was to encourage her. He grabbed the key she had given him from his nightstand and disappeared.

Raph safely slipped into Irma's bedroom and made his way to the kitchen. The living room and kitchen were connected and in the corner of the kitchen was the dinner table. It was covered in mountains of books and papers and sitting at the end of the table was Irma. She was slumped over the table writing something on the paper under her. Her light blue oxford was unbuttoned and her hair was slightly disheveled. Raph walked over to the tiny mass of stress. He moved down to her and sat down next to her. His head lowered to the back of hers. Irma had gotten used to ninja movements and slowly raised her head. She turned so that both of their heads sat close together.

"What are you doing her," she asked with a blend of relief and exhaustion.

"Checking on you."

"I told you not to come." She wasn't mad, just tired. The turtle moved a piece of hair that had fallen in her face.

"You said we couldn't have movie night. You never said I couldn't come check on you."

"I'm just doing some homework."

"You're swamped." They both looked at the pile of books scattered on the table. "You shouldn't sign yourself up for so much extra credit."

"How do you know this is extra credit?"

"No teacher in their right mind assigns this much mandatory work."

Irma smiled and let out a small laugh. "Touché."

Raph stood up and stepped behind her chair. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her up straight. He leaned down to her ear and whispered, "You need to relax." Irma felt her body go limp as his hands rubbed deep into her shoulders. She felt herself begin to relax as the massage grew deeper. As she closed her eyes, Irma let out a few soft moans which made Raph laugh. At his laugh, Irma fell back to reality and shoved Raph away. "Stop distracting me!"

"I was just trying to help."

Irma turned around and pleaded with Raph, "Please let me study. You can watch whatever you want."

Raph crouched down to meet her sitting height. "Okay." As he grabbed a few blank papers on the table and walked to the couch, he turned and replied, "But don't say you didn't like it."

"Raphael!"

"Just saying," he laughed.

Irma managed to finish her work in thirty minutes. As she pulled back from the table, she noticed Raphael on the couch writing something down. He had been quiet after their little scuffle and given her enough time to finish her work. Irma got up from the table and walked behind the couch.

"Whatcha doing?"

Raph freaked out and quickly folded up the piece of paper and held it behind his back as he stood.

"Uh, nothing!"

"What's on the paper?"

"None of your business."

"Oh, now it is." Irma made her way around the couch and up to the turtle. She reached for the piece of paper as he pulled back.

"It's nothing really."

"If it's nothing, why won't you let me see it?"

"Cause it's nothing." He held it above his head to where Irma could not reach it on her tip toe. This made her mad easier than anything. It was on now.

"You know what? You're right. It's stupid. Now if you excuse me." She made her way passed the mutant and it a quick dash grabbed the piece of paper from his side.

"Hey now!"

"You want it?"

"Yeah."

Irma had an evil look on her face. "Come and get it."

For a small thing, Irma was fast. She dodged every leap and bound Raph made. It soon became less about the paper and more about the chase itself. As she made her way down the hall and back into the living room, Raphael jumped up from behind the couch and managed to pin Irma into the wall. They were both laughing but Raph was fighting to stay serious.

"Where is it," he asked.

"Where was the last place you saw it?"

"Somewhere I'm not willing to investigate."

She laughed harder. His hands were clasped to her wrists but she has an idea of how to escape.

"Why are you uptight about a piece of paper?"

"None of your concern."

"Aw, that makes me so sad." She bowed her head as if to cry and the turtle's head followed. As she expected, his grip loosened as he watched her. She took the opportunity to bolt out from under him threw the space between his arm and torso. When she tried, Raph's quick thinking found a new grip on her wrist and pulled her into him. Irma was breathless. All this running around was tiring and the fact they were this close made her stomach hurt. In a good way. The beginning "This Magic Moment" had begun to play as soon as he grabbed her. Irma began to squirm but Raph was quicker than her. He scooped her up and swung her around. He was still laughing and she smiled. He walked over to the couch and sat her down gently. He found and seat next to her and politely asked, "May I please have it back?"

"Well since you asked so nicely?" Irma pulled the paper out of her shirt and handed it to her friend as she reclined to watch T.V.

"Why'd you put it in your shirt?"

"Because I knew you wouldn't try for it."

"Good point."

"What was so important that you had to hide it from me?" Without even trying, Irma took the paper from Raphael again and managed to start unfolding it.

"No!"

When she opened the paper, she found a very detailed drawing. The girl in the picture was leaning over to the side of a table, as if looking at the artist. Her head rested on her hand and she appeared to be thinking about something extremely hard. It took a moment before Irma realized the girl was her. Whenever she gets frustrated with homework, she turns her head in the exact same way as the girl. She was also wearing the same outfit and glasses as the picture, and her hair was lightly curled and her bangs fell into her eyes gracefully.

"You drew this?"

"Maybe."

"Raph."

He squirmed nervously in his seat. "Yes."

"It's extraordinary."

"You think?"

"Of course. I've never seen this much detail in a simple drawing."

"I needed something to do while you were studying."

"I've seen myself like this."

"Like how?"

"So beautiful."

"Tell you what." Raphael gently grabbed the paper from his friend's hands and began to fold it. When he finished, he placed it in her shirt pocket. "You keep it."

"What? No, I couldn't."

"Relax. I can draw another one. I just wanted something to have for myself."

"Why didn't you just ask?"

Irma got up from the sofa and jumped over to the shelves on either side of the T.V. There was a small old-fashioned Polaroid sitting on the second tallest shelf. The small girl had to stand on tip toe to reach it, and when she did she retreated back to the couch.

"I'm pretty sure it still has film in it."

"What are you going?"

"Giving you something you can keep and have."

She sat down on his lap suddenly and put one arm around his neck. "Here, you have longer arms."

"Alright."

He waited until she was ready and took the picture. It came out really good. Irma was, of course, in his lap and hugging his neck, and Raphael had his trademark smirk/small smile.

"Can I take one of just you?"

"Sure, just a sec."

Raph watched as Irma fixed herself and pulled all her hair to both shoulders. "How do I look?"

"Wonderful."

"Sweet. Alright I'm ready."

He pressed the button and the picture came out perfect. She was adorable. She crawled over to his side of the couch. "Now you can have that so whenever you need me, you can just talk to her."

"This doesn't mean she's your permanent replacement."

The girl hit him on the shoulder.

"Of course not."

"Good. I couldn't handle venting to just her."

They both laughed and decided to tune back into a T.V show about four girls running around getting texts from some person named "A".

* * *

**Yay references to my new favorite show! Again, sorry about last week's absence. I hope this makes up for it! I'm already well into Chapter Nine and it's a biggy so Fingers Crossed! Once again, thanks for the support and reviews and I love you all!**


	9. Too Good To Be True

After Irma's parents got back from their trip, Raph could not visit as often. One afternoon, Irma came home early and texted Raph to come over. He was there in a matter of minutes. He walked down the hall to find the girl fixing a snack in the kitchen. An old song called "More Than a Woman" was playing in the kitchen as a rerun of the teenage werewolf show Irma liked played in the living room. The girl smiled extra-large as she saw her friend sit down on the couch.

"Hey!"

"What's the special occasion," he asked as Finley jumped into his lap.

"Oh nothing. You want anything?"

"I'm good. Must be something you're not telling me."

"Well if you insist." She ran over and plopped down next to the turtle. Raph started to eat some of the chips she'd brought over. "I have a date."

Raph nearly choked on his food. "What," he coughed.

"I have a date."

"That's what you called me over for?"

"It's a big deal for me. I have never been asked out before."

Raph hesitated and thought about his tone. "My bad. So tell me about this guy."

"Well his name's Brandon and he asked me today in the library."

"What a romantic."

"Oh shut up," she retorted, pushing him in the arm as he laughed at his own joke.

"Sorry. So," Raphael paused for a moment then continued, "You…like this guy?"

"Well, yeah actually."

"And he likes you?"

"I think so. He was really shy when he talked to me today. His friends were waiting for him in the back."

"Oh." Something didn't feel right about this to Raph. He was happy for her but at the same time was indifferent towards the idea of the date.

"So when is it and where are you going?"

"It's tomorrow at this school dance."

"What time?"

"Nine 'til eleven."

"So…. We can't hang out tomorrow?" His tone was disappointed.

"Don't think of it that way." Irma placed a hand on Raph's shoulder. "Think of it as a night all to yourself." Raph tried to smile but what came was half-hearted. They stood up together.

"Alright."

"Good. So I'll see you Saturday?"

"Sounds great. One more thing Champ," he said as he turned from the hallway.

"What's that," she asked as she cleaned the coffee table.

"Please be safe." The girl turned to face the mutant with her arms crossed.

"Always Raph."

He nodded his head, "Always."

Friday night found Raph wandering down the familiar sewer path. He had learned earlier that peace and quiet was not what he needed that day, so forty five minutes after nine, Raph grabbed his old stereo system and made his way to the manhole. He was going to wait for Irma to get home and make sure she was safe. And maybe get a glimpse of this Brandon guy Irma fawned over. She had told him that no one in the apartment building used the roof, so Raph climbed the ladder without caution. He jumped over the side and walked to a box. As he began to set up, he noticed something peeking around the corner of a large rectangle box. Raphael slowly walked over to the object and as he got closer, he realized the exposed object was the corner of a blanket. Irma was hiding behind the box covered in a blanket crying. As she saw who the stranger was, she wiped her face and said,

"Oh hey Raph."

"What are you doing here?"

"Getting some fresh air." She continued to wipe her face. Her hair was curled, and despite all the tears, she looked beautiful.

"Didn't you dance start almost an hour ago?" Raph sat down next to the distraught girl.

"Oh, that. He never showed up."

"He stood you up?"

"Yeah. I called to ask him if he was running late and he told me to drop dead and stop acting desperate."

"He told you that?"

"In so many words. He said it was all a joke."

Raph began to grow angry. He moved to stand up but Irma grabbed his hand. Her face was sad but she had stopped crying.

"Don't. He's not worth it."

"He may not be but you are." He managed to make her smile.

"Raph as much as I appreciate your chivalry, I'd much rather you stay here."

The turtle sat back down next to the small girl. She fell to his shoulder as they sat in silence. Suddenly Raph was struck with an idea.

"Get up," he said.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Help me up."

Irma held out her hands to a standing Raph. As she rose the blanket fell to reveal a black one shoulder dress and red heels. Despite the shoes, she was still shorter than her mutant friend. Raph looked down and replied, "Nice touch."

"Thanks."

He took her hand and led her to the other side of the box. Raph nodded toward the box and hesitantly place his hands on her hips.

"May I?"

Irma bowed her head and smiled.

"You may," she replied, resting her hands on his shoulders. The boy gently lifted the girl to rest neatly on the box. As he finished, he ran over to the stereo and began fiddling with it. Knowing she liked old music, Raph had begun listening to it also. He quickly found a song that he felt would quickly cheer her up and ran behind the roof entrance. The song began to play and Irma smiled. She didn't begin to laugh until the turtle's head popped out from behind the door.

"You're just too good to be true," he sang, now standing on top of the entrance. "Can't take my eyes off of you. You'd be like heaven to touch. Oh, I wanna hold you so much. At long last love has arrived and I thank God you're alive. You're just too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off of you."

As Raphael continued to sway and sing, Irma was in stitches. She had completely disregarded the originally ruined night. All she could think about was how sweet Raph was to wait on her and cheer her up. As the song led up to the chorus, Raphael began to flip with the beat. And just as they chorus began he leaped from the entrance and slid to rest at Irma's feet.

"I LOVE YOU BABY! AND IF IT'S QUITE ALRIGHT I NEED YOU BABY TO WARM THE LONELY NIGHTS I LOVE YOU BABY TRUST IN ME WHEN I SAAAAAAAYYYYYY!"

By this time he had grabbed Irma off the box and was spinning her around. They continued to do this until the song's end when Irma brought Raph into a hug.

"Thank you for making my night so much better."

"Hey, it's my job. You gonna be alright now?"

"I think so," she smiled.

As the turtle made his way to the side of the stereo it began to play 100 Years by Five for Fighting.

"OH RAPH THIS IS MY FAVORITE!"

Raphael was amazed at how fast the girl was because before the song had really started, she had pulled him back into the open space. "Dance with me," she pleaded. Raph was hesitant because he didn't know how to slow dance. But he replied with his normal smile and it began. This was Irma's favorite part of the night. Things had turned from absolutely horrible to incredibly amazing. Although her stomach had started throbbing, Irma wouldn't tell Raph to stop. She buried her head in his chest and Raph watched her. He smiled and rested his chin on her head. As the song ended, they stood apart still linked by hands.

"Thank you for making this night so much better."

"My pleasure Princess."

He bowed to her and made his way to the edge before Irma could get out, "You truly are the best," to his face. But he still heard it and it made his night as he ran back to the lair throwing his fist in the air in accomplishment.

* * *

**I apologize for it taking this long. Life got difficult but JL is back momentarily. Hopefully I will be able to start on Chapter Ten soon. Reviews are appreciated and I love you all and hope you enjoy!**


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